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GREENWOOD — Teams from Maine, Florida and Wisconsin came out on top July 11-12 during the 10th annual Maine Summer Adventure Race over dozens of other groups vying for the chance to compete nationally.

The winning team in the 24-hour race was High Point Racing of Tampa, Florida, who will receive free entry to the U.S. Adventure Racing Association national championship in Bend, Oregon, in October. Coming in second and third place were Rib Mountain Racing of Wausau, Wisconsin, and Strong Machine Adventure Racing of Pownal, Maine.

Highpoint Adventure Racing’s winning team consisted of Jarrod Shoemaker, Jeff Woods, Daryl Rose and Rachel Furman. Rib Mountain Racing members were Tim Buchholz, Andrea Larson and Kent McDonell. Strong Machine Adventure Racing members were Tom Martin, Glen Lewis, Kara Witherill and Jason Urckfitz.

The total course was 93 miles with 13,000 feet of vertical gain, involving four trekking legs, three biking legs and one paddle leg, according to organizers. The race began and ended at the base of Mt. Abram Ski Area & Bike Park in Greenwood.

Teams of two to four people were set out on a scavenger hunt in search of 70 checkpoints hidden in the woods and waters of the unmarked course. The teams had to combine athleticism, strategy and navigation to reach as many checkpoints as possible within the race’s time limit, organizers said.

There were three-hour, eight-hour and 24-hour versions people could participate in as part of Maine’s only U.S. Adventure Racing Association-sanctioned event. The eight-hour edition is geared toward beginner and intermediate-level athletes, while 24-hour race is for the expert-level participants. The three-hour race is for families.

In the 24-hour division there were a total of 77 racers on 32 teams. In the eight-hour segment there were 116 racers on 48 teams. In the three-hour race there were 104 participants, with 47 under age 18, on 35 teams.

For the fourth year in a row, the 24-hour race was part of the national association’s regional championship. The USARA national championship will be held Oct. 23-24 in Bend, Oregon, and winners will receive a $1,600 prize. The 24-hour Maine Summer Adventure Race is also part of the Adventure Racing World Series North America Regional Series.

The Maine Summer Adventure Race is directed by the members of Strong Machine Adventure Racing, a nationally ranked adventure race team based in Portland, Maine. More information on the race can be found at www.MaineSummerAR.com or on Facebook.

Marla has been a journalist for nearly 20 years at newspapers in Maine and Connecticut. She has been a writer, a designer, a photographer, a columnist, and for six years led the nighttime production and...

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